The fireballer pitched one inning, allowing no hits, no walks and one unearned run against a Pittsburgh Pirates rookie-league team in Bradenton, Florida. He struck out two batters and — more importantly — his fastball was clocked at 97 mph.

Prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011, Chamberlain went 2-0 with a 2.83 ERA in 28 2/3 innings pitched for the Yankees. In his short stint that season, the hard-throwing reliever recorded 24 strikeouts to just seven walks.

If Joba does return in 2012, how effective do you think he’ll be for the Bombers? Sound off with your thoughts and comments in the section below…